The fifth day of Passion Week

The fifth day of Passion Week (KA)

Introduction：
Most notably, this is the day that Jesus ate His final Passover (often called the Last Supper) and instituted Communion. It is at this meal that Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, commanding them to do the same for each other and to love one another as He has loved each of them. Christ's "mandate" is where we get the name Maundy Thursday.  

At this meal, just prior to His arrest, Jesus predicted what would happen on the next day (and His departure), then He gave His followers symbols of remembrance for His body and His blood to be  sacrificed. Finally, Jesus provided a very important principle for His followers: to love as He loved, to serve as He did. Peter confidently said that he could follow like this but Jesus answered by predicting Peter’s threefold denial.  Jesus’ high priestly prayer was offered up for Peter and the disciples, for Himself, and for all believers.

Key Events:

Events/Facts	Location	Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
1 the disciples prepared for Passover	Jerusalem	26:17‐19	14:12‐16	22:7‐13
2 Jesus and the disciples ate the Passover supper	Jerusalem	26:20	14:17	22:14‐18
3 a dispute arose among the disciples about which of them was  the greatest	Jerusalem			22:24‐30
4 Jesus washed His disciples’ feet	Jerusalem				13:1‐20
5 Jesus pointed out the one who would betray him	Jerusalem	26:21‐25	14:18‐21	22:21‐23	13:21‐33
6 Jesus gave a new command	Jerusalem				13:34‐35
7 Jesus predicted Peter’s first denial	Jerusalem			22:31‐38	13:36‐38
8 Jesus instituted the Communion	Jerusalem	26:26‐29	14:22‐25	22:19‐20
9 Jesus’s last conversation	Jerusalem				14:1‐16:33
a. about why he was going b. about the vine and the branches as well as loving each other c. about the Holy Spirit’s coming d. about praying in the Lord’s name					14:1‐31 15:1‐27 16:1‐16, 16:17‐33
10 Jesus prayed for his disciples	Jerusalem				17:1‐26

Key verses: John 13:31-35  
31 So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. 32 If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately. 33 Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you.34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Meditation: It was with His death on the cross looming that Jesus told His disciples to love one another as He had loved them. Even as Jesus knew that the Father had given all things into His hands, our Lord bent down to wash the feet of sinners. Though there was nothing attractive about sinful mankind to draw Jesus to love us, yet while sinners, He loved the Father and us enough to humble Himself in total surrender to death on a cross. It is by His broken body and His shed blood that we can be accepted by the Father and enter into a living, loving, and daily communion with God, as well as be able to love and unite with one another.  How wonderful, how marvelous the love of God that would stoop so low to wash away the sins of humanity by the blood of the Son.

Hymn：H84 Himeself He Could Not Save